Get Ready! Get Set! Go!

Get ready! Get set! Go!

That’s the word I heard at the PORTA High School Baccalaureate service Sunday night for the Class of 2021. Eric Wagler from the band 10 Talents shared this message from the parable of the talents Jesus told in Matthew 25:14-30, weaving in his own life story as he related to the servants who had been entrusted with their master’s resources.

By the way, just a quick word of appreciation to the pastors and churches of the PORTA Ministerial Association for sponsoring this event, as well as special thanks to Mrs. McMahan, Mrs. Perez, Mrs. Reid, and Mrs. Owens for their varied and valuable help.

Two of the servants invested their “talents” well and returned a great profit. The master was thrilled with their work and rewarded them with even greater responsibility and boundless joy. The third servant, however, buried his talent and handed back only what he’d been given. Needless to say, the master was not pleased.

God is our Master, and He has entrusted to His servants the stewardship of His resources. And until Jesus returns, we ought to be faithful and wise to invest these talents not for selfish ambitions, but for the good of others and the glory of God.

What are you doing with the resources, gifts, and opportunities God has given you?

So get ready! How? Spend time listening to the Lord by hearing what He says in the Bible. Pray for guidance and direction, and wait for God’s instruction and counsel to teach you the way you should go.

Get set! Gather with a community of authentic believers who will encourage you, correct you, pray for you, love you, strengthen you in the faith, and help equip you for the ministry God has prepared for you. We truly do need each other.

Then go! Whatever God says to do, do it. Wherever God calls you to go, go. It might not seem to make a lot of sense to you. He probably won’t give you the whole picture at first. You might be inclined to doubt His ways as you look with your finite eyes and limited understanding. But your faithful obedience to the Lord will always reap great reward.

One of my personal favorite verses is found in Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” (NLT).

Class of 2021, congratulations on all that you have achieved so far! Let me urge you to look to the Lord to get ready, get set, and go. Keep your eyes on Jesus and keep trusting Him all along the way, and you just might find that when you delight yourself in the Lord, He will not only give you the desires of your heart, but will do immeasurably more than all that you can ask or imagine.

An Anchor for Your Soul

If you’re like me and shaking your head at the constantly changing, uncertain, and often conflicting guidelines surrounding the COVID-19 health measures, aren’t you at least glad to know that the counsel of the Word of God remains unchanged?

Dr. Fauci may waffle back and forth week-by-week, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Even the “science” and the “data” consulted by the “experts” evolves (one presumes with political pressures and financial motivations – seriously, somebody follow the money on all of this and see where it leads), but “every word of God proves true” (Proverbs 30:5).

It’s foolish to build a house on the sand. The next storm is sure to wipe it all out.

It’s foolish to construct a host of mandates on shifting shadows. The next political cloud will undo every edict.

And it’s foolish to build your life on the unknown, the unsettled, the unsure. The next crisis, the next wind of doctrine, the next trend, the next appealing sound byte will quickly rock the shaky foundation under your feet and you’ll be tossed about like a jon boat in a hurricane.

But when your life is anchored to the rock of Christ Jesus, there is no storm that can capsize your faith.

My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus’ blood and righteousness 

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

but wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ the solid rock I stand

all other ground is sinking sand

all other ground is sinking sand

Friend, in a world that seems to be splitting apart at the seams, where seeds of discord are sown all around us, where sin gets applauded and right disregarded, come to Jesus and find peace in the midst of the storm. Come to Jesus and find joy in spite of the troubles. Come to Jesus and find hope as an anchor for your soul, “steadfast and sure while the billows roll”. Come to Jesus and find life unshakeable and eternal, abundant, new, and true.

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Want to know more about this Savior who loves you so much that He laid down His life on the cross for you? Want to know more about this King who conquered sin and death and hell, the One who sits at the right hand of the Almighty and will one day come again?

I would love to talk with you. Call the church office at 217-632-2488, and we’ll open the Bible together and hear from heaven.

The Privilege of Prayer

Women, wouldn’t it be strange if you said you loved your husband, but you never spoke to him? And wouldn’t it also be odd if you did talk to him, but you never bothered to listen to what he had to say? Men, I won’t ask you to comment on that! 

Well, whether or not those things are true in your marriage, unfortunately that’s a description of the way many people pray – or don’t pray. 

Prayer is essentially dialogue between God and His people. It’s communing in fellowship with our Father in heaven who loves us deeply, has chosen us in Christ, has adopted us into His family as sons and daughters, and who longs for us to draw near to Him, align our lives with His Kingdom’s purposes and will, and faithfully follow His perfect counsel. 

But even among Christians, many go about their day without ever giving a thought to communicating with the One they claim to love. 

Or for some, prayer is a one-sided conversation where we do all the talking but don’t really do any listening. And even at that, many prayers are pre-scripted or memorized (which is not inherently wrong, and can be very helpful), but the danger is that maybe all we’re doing is “saying our prayers” but we’re not really communicating with God. 

If we would truly know the friendship of God – a real love relationship with the Creator of the universe – then we must learn how to pray. 

Of course, the Bible is packed with the prayers of godly men and women to teach us how to call upon the name of the Lord. Whether in times of trouble and sorrow, to express our praise and thanksgiving, to intercede on behalf of another, to seek forgiveness for our sins, to ask for provision for our needs or guidance for decisions, or literally anything that pertains to life, God invites us to His throne of grace in the name of Jesus and promises that there we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). 

And the pattern of prayer that Jesus outlines for His disciples in Matthew 6 still works pretty well, too, as we engage our hearts and minds with our tongues in prayer to our Father. 

But let’s make sure that in our praying that we take the time to listen for God’s response. Let’s keep our ears open and actively seek to hear from the Lord. “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9). And let’s then do the hard work of waiting upon the Lord in faith. If we know that He hears our feeble, yet sincere prayers, and if we know that He responds for His glory and our good, then we would do well to trust Him to answer when and how He chooses to do so.

For surely, He is the sovereign, omnipotent King who reigns over all from His throne in heaven, and who invites us to “cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). He is the God who can move the mountains and part the waters to make a way where there seems to be no way. And He is our Father in heaven who delights in the prayers of His children. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

"God loves naughty boys"

Henry Ironside, who ministered in the first half of the 1900’s, pastoring the Moody Church in Chicago for 20 years, tells this story.

“I remember, when I was a boy, going to a missionary meeting. A missionary was there from Africa and was showing us a whole lot of curious things, and then he said, ‘Now, boys, I want to tell you the kind of Gospel we preach to the people of Africa. How many good boys have we here?’ 

A lot of us thought we were good, but our mothers were there, and so not one of us dared hold up his hand. ‘Well,’ said he, ‘not one good boy here; then I have the same message for you that we have for the heathen in Africa; God loves naughty boys.’ 

‘My,’ I thought, ‘he is getting all mixed up,’ for you see I had heard people say, ‘If you are good God will love you.’ But, dear friends, that is not true. God is not waiting for you to be good so He can love you; God loves sinners.” 

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). 

Friend, if you’ve been hearing people say (and believing) that God can only love you if you’re good, then this revelation of God’s sacrificial love can change your world. The truth is that apart from Christ we’re all morally deficient, ungodly sinners and even enemies of God. We’ve done nothing – and can do nothing – to earn God’s love. 

Truly, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). 

And as it is written, “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). 

As rebellious, self-centered trespassers, we deserve the wrath of God, not His love. 

But here’s what you need to hear and believe and embrace: God is love! And being rich in mercy, overflowing with grace, whose love is unfailing, unending, unconditional, and unparalleled; whose love is amazing, steadfast, great, and perfect; this God put His love on display for all to see by sending His Son Jesus into our world to die in our place. 

Not for the good boys, but for the naughty boys.

And on the cross of Calvary, the blood of Jesus shed for the forgiveness of sins can make the sinners clean, washing away every stain, making us right with God, and saving us from His just wrath. Not only that, but He adopts us into His family as sons and daughters, and by His resurrection victory He gives us the promise of eternal life. 

And I don’t even have room to unpack the abundance of life that He gives us even now – a life of purpose and meaning, fellowship in His presence and with His people, peace that passes all understanding, joy inexpressible, hope unshakeable, and the guidance and comfort and help and power of His Holy Spirit all the time, every day, every step of the way! 

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene

And wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean

How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be

How marvelous, how wonderful, is my Savior’s love for me! 

Have you received this gift of God’s sacrificial love that brings eternal life? Why not repent from sin, trust Him today as Savior, and surrender to Him as Lord? It doesn’t matter what’s in your past or where you’re at right now. Come to Him in faith. God loves naughty boys. 

Ready for Revival

I am ready for a revival! How about you?

I am ready to see God reignite a flame in the heart of every believer. I am ready to see the power of Jesus’ resurrection victory transform lives for His glory. I am ready to see what happens when the Holy Spirit fills the followers of Jesus for undivided loyalty and unbridled obedience to the will of God.

I am ready to see Christians get thoroughly right with God, confessing and renouncing sin, turning away from every form of wickedness, putting all idolatry and immorality to death, and finding the freedom of cleansing forgiveness in Christ fresh and new like never before.

I am ready to see those who claim the name of Jesus embrace Him fully, clothing themselves in His righteousness, transformed by the renewal of their minds, abiding richly in Christ, delighting in His Word, and walking in lockstep with the Holy Spirit day by day.

I am ready to see a new hunger for the things of God among His people, passionately pursuing purity and holiness, living by faith and not by sight, loving the Lord with everything they’ve got and loving their neighbor as themselves.

I am ready to see revival!

I am ready to see the church on her knees pleading with the Father to pour out His mercy upon us, to amaze us anew with His grace, to overwhelm us again with His unfailing love, and to unleash the wonder of His power at work within us.

I am ready to see the church praying earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest fields, to raise up men and women who will unashamedly witness for the gospel in their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and schools, and to call out some to serve as vocational missionaries, pastors, and ministers to the hurting and helpless.

I am ready to see the church crying out to God for the salvation of lost souls with an aching that cannot be quenched apart from a mighty and marvelous work of God.

I am ready for revival!

And I am ready to experience the heart of true surrender in the church, with the Bride of Christ giving herself in full submission to the mission of her Savior, putting herself at the disposal of God to be used any way He desires to reach others for Christ.

I am ready to see prodigals coming home, the hopeless finding hope, the broken finding healing, the fearful finding the Prince of Peace, the lonely finding a Friend, and sinners finding the Savior.

I am ready to see a Great Awakening in our land and to the ends of the earth as the people of God take the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit with a burning desire to see souls saved. I am ready to witness the Spirit of God opening the eyes of the blind to see the glory of Christ Jesus, as men and women, boys and girls are rescued from spiritual darkness and brought to the light of the Kingdom of God, ushered by God’s grace from death to life, and freed from the chains of sin to serve to the risen and living Christ.

I am ready for revival, and I’m ready for it to begin in my own heart and among the church right here in Petersburg.

Oh, God, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6).

Resurrection Truth

If the resurrection of Jesus is not true, then what fools we are who believe this. Seriously, what a waste of our few years on this planet if we’ve fallen for a hoax thinking that Jesus came back to life after a horrific crucifixion.

But if it is true, then doesn’t this change everything for now and for eternity?! The faith we profess, the hope we possess, the life we express, the Lord we bless – everything hinges on the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. How do we know it’s truly true, that it really did happen, and it’s not just a wishful fantasy of someone’s clever imagination?

Of course, volumes have been written on the subject, but allow me to summarize a few key pieces of evidence to help strengthen (or challenge) your belief about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The prophets foretold it. Long before Jesus ever stepped down from glory into our world, the prophets spoke of the coming King who would conquer death and reign forever. Just one example comes from Peter’s message on the day of Pentecost where he quotes from David (Psalm 16), and says, “he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:31).

The Bible records it. “All Scripture is God-breathed,” (2 Timothy 3:16), and obviously the Bible clearly records the resurrection as fact. When the women went to the tomb, they expected to find the dead body of Jesus, but the angel said, “He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him” (Mark 16:6). “Every word of God proves true,” (Proverbs 30:5).

Jesus appeared to many people after His resurrection. Over the course of 40 days from His resurrection to His ascension into heaven, Jesus presented Himself alive by many proofs (Acts 1:3). He showed them His nail-scarred hands and pierced side. He ate with them, talked with them, walked with them, taught them. They saw Him, touched Him, and believed.

Names were named. If I made a hole-in-one on 18 at Shambolee, who’s going to believe me unless I tell you who I was playing with so you could go ask them yourself? In 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul talks about the resurrection, He names specific people, including himself, who were eyewitnesses of Jesus. In effect, he’s saying, “If you don’t believe me, go ask them!”

The disciples of Jesus testified to His resurrection even to their own martyrdom. If they had stolen the body of Jesus, as some claimed, perhaps they could have circulated the lie for some time. But who goes to such great lengths of suffering and dying while staging something they know is not true? And none of them ever blew the whistle unraveling the mystery? They never wavered because they knew it was true.

Lives were patently transformed by the resurrection of Jesus. Unbelieving skeptics like Saul/Paul and James are examples of men whose lives were changed by the truth. Fearful, dejected disciples were made bold and courageous as they proclaimed this message. Jesus gives life and power to those who believe the reality of the resurrection.

Indeed, the resurrection of Jesus is not only true, it is the most glorious and life-saving news you’ll ever hear, for Christ died to save us from the penalty of our sins, and He rose that we might have eternal life with Him in heaven! Do you believe this?

Phony Faith or Genuine Salvation?

Many people live with a phony faith. They talk a religious talk and do religious things. But you can’t cash in phony faith on Judgment Day. 

The crowds that lined the streets for Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on what we call “Palm Sunday” remind us that not everyone who shouts, “Hosanna!” is a genuine, born-again believer. Not everyone who waves palm branches truly knows Jesus as Lord and Savior, either. 

Some of the most piercing words Jesus ever uttered were these: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.’ On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me; you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21). 

Many people give lip service to Jesus, but they’re not really saved. You can honor Him with your lips while your heart remains far from Him. You can sing praise songs at the top of your lungs and quote Bible verses all day, but that’s not the way to heaven. 

And many think their impressive religious record of service will surely be enough. “Lord, didn’t I go to church every Sunday, observe religious fasts, take communion, teach Sunday School, volunteer at the soup kitchen, and give money to the poor?”

Tragically, many will hear not a gracious welcome into His glorious presence, but a chilling condemnation to eternal separation. Can you even think of more crushing words from Christ than, “I never knew you; depart from me”?

Friend, there’s no better – and no more urgent – time than now to do a spiritual checkup. The apostle Paul exhorts: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The good news is that you can have full assurance of your faith. You can know that your faith is genuine, not counterfeit, and that when you stand before God on the Day you will be unashamed and uncondemned. How can we know this for sure?  I’m glad you asked!

Here’s the bold print: Genuine faith is built on knowing Jesus in true repentance and faith which results in obedience to the will of God.

Salvation is a work of the grace of God through Jesus. Because we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and because the wages of sin is death and hell (Romans 6:23), we are utterly unable to save ourselves. Apart from Christ we are spiritually dead. Dead men can’t breathe new life into themselves.

But Jesus, the Son of God, God incarnate, in immeasurable love for us came and lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death in our place, taking our sins upon Himself and thus satisfied the wrath of a just and holy God against sin.

And on the third day, He rose in victory over sin and death and hell, and now He is exalted at the right hand of God.

The Bible tells us clearly that “whosever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). This kind of faith is a faith that makes dead men live! It puts the sinful ways to death and lives in a new way of life – for the will of God to the glory of God.

Make sure that your faith is genuine by believing in and obeying the One who gave His life so that you can truly live!

Living with Eternal Purpose

Many people wander aimlessly through life without purpose. They have no guiding sense of direction or calling that helps them prioritize their time, investments, or day-to-day decisions on what to do and what not to do. They just kind of drift along with the flow.

Despite the busy-ness of necessary and self-imposed demands, without finding meaning to their labor or existence, life soon feels futile and hopeless.

Why am I here? Who am I? What’s the point? Whatever.

Is there more to life than this? Does my work really matter in the end? How can I find significance and satisfaction? What’s going to happen when I die?

If you’re asking questions like these, I would suggest to you that it’s because God has created you for a purpose, and until you discover it, you’ll continue to drift like a ship lost at sea.

The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes addressed many of these same concerns. Indeed, he explored and indulged in everything life had to offer – work, wealth, women, wine, wisdom, power, possessions, prominence – he pursued it all and had it all. Yet, he found everything meaningless in the end, a “chasing after the wind” as he describes it (Ecc. 1:14).

But the story doesn’t end in futility or despair. And yours doesn’t have to, either.

See, we’ve been created by a loving God who has “set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecc. 3:11). We are created by Him and for Him, and if we spend our lives seeking the things of the world apart from Him, then we’ll reach the same pointless conclusion as “The Preacher” of Ecclesiastes: “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecc. 1:2).

But when we seek the Lord with all our hearts, loving Him, trusting Him, obeying Him, following Him, then we’ll truly find fullness of life like the bright sunlight breaking through the gloom of a dreary sky.

Friend, you were made in the image of God with a deep craving in your heart to know Him! Not just to know about Him, but to know Him in a genuine love-relationship that gives true purpose and meaning to everything in this life and in the life to come.

The Bible tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

In Jesus, there is peace that passes all understanding. In Jesus, there is joy that words cannot express. In Jesus, there is hope that remains unshakeable. In Jesus, there is new, abundant, and eternal life. In Jesus, there is purpose in everything under the sun because we live no longer for ourselves but for Him – the One who died for us and was raised to life.

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecc. 12:13).

Isn’t it time you started living life with eternal purpose?

Wash your hands!?

It is possible to get so enamored with our own religious traditions that we miss the very heart of worship.

The Pharisees got their britches bent out of shape because the disciples of Jesus didn’t wash their hands before they ate. Of course, this was pre-Covid! LOL! And according to their tradition, that would make them defiled.

Jesus said to them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites, for he wrote: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God” (Mark 7:6-7).  

True worship is not about washing your hands or raising your hands or saying particular prayers or observing special days or abstaining from certain foods.

It’s about living in faith from a heart of reverence and awe and purity and humility and love and obedience toward a holy God. Worship springs from a heart that overflows with gratitude for the marvelous mercy and amazing grace of the Savior who came down from heaven to save wretches like you and me.

Jesus went on to say that it’s not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of a person that defiles him. “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 8:21-23).

The Bible says plainly that all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). In other words, we’re all defiled, and we all deserve the just penalty for our sins, which is death and eternal separation from God in hell.

And no amount of washing our hands or keeping religious traditions can take away our sin. But Jesus can, and He did.

“But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6).

“For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The defilements of our sin stains are forgiven at the cross, where Christ took the nails for us. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

So, go and please wash your hands before you eat and use all the hand sanitizer you want, but make sure that your heart is washed clean by repenting from sin and receiving Jesus as the Savior and Master of your life.

There's only one way

Congratulations to both the Bluejays boys and girls high school basketball teams on an outstanding season! At this writing the girls are undefeated and the boys are unbeaten in conference play. To Coach Kesler, Coach Rathgeb, and their teams – great job! You’ve had a remarkable run in an extremely challenging season. 

It’s been fun to follow the Jays, even though the only way I’ve been able to watch any games this year has been through the NFHS Network which streams the games online. I’m grateful for that, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the same as being in the gym. 

By the way, special thanks to Neil Gurnsey and Mike Logsdon for their stellar work in announcing the games! It’s so much better to watch with play-by-play than without. Now, if somebody could just figure out how to keep that camera from swinging back and forth from one end of the court to the other during time-outs, that would be great – I’m getting dizzy! 

So anybody can watch through this network. All you have to do is sign-up and pay a relatively small subscription cost and figure out how to find it on your device. But that’s the only way to do it. You can search every channel on your satellite or cable provider, you can install a 30-foot antenna in your backyard if you want, but if you really want to watch the Bullets v. Bluejays on Tuesday night, you’ve got to go through the network. 

When it comes to far weightier matters of eternal destinations, there is likewise only one way to heaven. You’ve got to go through Jesus. 

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). It is an exclusive claim, no question. But it’s an all-inclusive offer! 

And it’s grounded in the most amazing display of love ever given. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Abundant and eternal life is available to anyone – but you’ve got to go through Jesus. 

You could try to make it to heaven in a million other ways or through a million other religions, but there’s only one God who loved you so much that He stepped down out of heaven and took on the likeness of man, humbled Himself to the point of death – even death on a cross! – and paid the cost by bearing our sins in His body to save us from the judgment we deserve. Jesus is the way! 

And He pleads with you to come to Him. “Enter by the narrow gate” (Matthew 7:13). The narrow gate opens to a hard road, but it leads to eternal life. The wide gate opens to an easy road that leads to destruction. These are the only two options to your eternal destination. 

So I ask: Which way are you going?